Nancy Schreiber is an award-winning cinematographer based in both New York and Los Angeles. She was the fourth woman ever voted into membership into the prestigious American Society of Cinematographers. In February 2017, Schreiber was a recipient of the ASC President’s Award, the first woman ever to receive this award. Schreiber has more than 130 credits as a cinematographer to her name and over 40 as a member of the camera/electrical crew. 

And she is not backing down anytime soon. She recently also received the Susan B. Anthony "Failure is Impossible" Award at the High Falls Film Festival for her extensive work and her contribution in supporting women in the film and television industries.

The Susan B. Anthony Lifetime Achievement Award was established in 1997 by the Susan B. Anthony Center to honour and celebrate women whose lives have been enriched by their years at the University of Rochester and who have, in turn, inspired other women to advance and lead. Nominees are faculty, staff, trustees and/or alumnae who have achieved significant professional stature and influence; have a commendable, trailblazing body of work; and, who have used their experience and skills to help other women advance as leaders.

Over the years, female cinematographers have made it clear that they dislike the gender qualifier, preferring to be thought of as simply DPs, like their male counterparts. But given the small number of women in the profession, if the issue is not brought up, it remains the elephant in the room.

Schreiber worked as a gaffer on the Oscar-nominated 1975 documentary “The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir,” co-directed by Shirley MacLaine and Claudia Weill. Her cinematography credits, dating back to 1979, include narrative films (“Loverboy”), television series (“Better Things”), commercials, music videos, and documentaries.

Schreiber was on Variety’s 10 Cinematographers to Watch list before taking home the Best Cinematography award at Sundance. She’s been nominated for an Emmy, an Independent Spirit Award, and was presented with the Women in Film Crystal/Kodak Vision Award. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

“If this award does anything, it will open some doors to the younger generation of women, to show that they can succeed, that they can work in all areas of the film and television industry,” Schreiber said of the ASC honour. It is estimated that females represent only 3% of cinematographers working today.

“If I had paid attention to [sexism] being an issue, I would not be where I am today,” says Schreiber. “You can’t focus on obstacles. It would have been ludicrous to have those types of thoughts in my head — self-defeatist, really.”

Cinematography is a field that is especially difficult for women to break into — a report from The Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film found that women represented only three percent of cinematographers on 2016’s top 100 films.

The High Falls Film Festival was held on November 2–6 in Rochester, NY.

Sources:

http://www.nancyschreiber.com
https://www.moviemaker.com/archives/series/things_learned/cinematographer-nancy-schreiber/
http://www.rochester.edu/sba/events/susan-b-anthony-legacy-dinner/
https://blog.womenandhollywood.com/dp-nancy-schreiber-to-receive-susan-b-anthony-award-at-high-falls-film-fest-5fab1a02727f